What Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial means for America

Bribery. Corruption. Conspiracy to commit crimes. Misuse of public office. These are just some of the grave allegations levied against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas House of Representatives’ 20 articles of impeachment delivered to the state Senate in late May. Now Lone Star State senators are scheduled to hear closing arguments in a trial to decide whether Paxton should be removed from office.

The Texas House accused Paxton — arguably the most conservative fighter in the country when it comes to resisting the Biden regime’s power grabs — of misusing his office to benefit his friend and campaign donor, Nate Paul. Lawmakers say Paxton violated his oath of office by accepting illegal gifts in the form of a renovated kitchen and engaged in conspiracy and dereliction of duty, among other things.

The problem? The accusations, sexy and salacious as they may be, simply aren’t true. In no way, shape, or form did the House prove its case with tangible, clear, or convincing evidence. In fact, the defense presented evidence that shredded every article of impeachment listed.

The prosecution’s star witnesses, a group of seven “whistleblowers,” provided only second- and thirdhand accounts of Paxton’s supposed wrongdoing, almost as if they were playing a game of telephone in elementary school. Though they had ample opportunity to gather evidence of Paxton’s alleged crimes before going to the FBI, witness after witness admitted under cross-examination that they had little to offer except baseless assumptions.

The whistleblowers boasted strong conservative credentials on paper, but each and every one of them was quick to defend the Federal Bureau of Investigation as beyond reproach. One witness even said it was “insane” to suggest that FBI agents would engage in corruption. Another suggested that it was improper for an attorney general to investigate the FBI because that should be left to federal officials — as if the last five years never happened. (See “Operation Crossfire Hurricane,” for starters.)

At times, the whistleblowers admitted that their boss, Paxton, did in fact have the legal authority to make the decisions he made. They simply thought they knew better.

And, for the record, there were no kitchen renovations as first alleged. The witness who initially accused Paxton of that particular impropriety testified under oath after seeing the evidence that the issue was “put to bed,” in his opinion.

Not that the trial was a complete waste of time. Several times throughout the trial, Paxton’s defense uncovered connections between the whistleblowers and the Bush family by way of their attorney, Johnny Sutton, who has worked with the Bushes for decades. In fact, witnesses testified that Sutton coordinated with them before they went to the FBI in 2020 to accuse Paxton of crimes they couldn’t prove. Coincidentally, the very same day Sutton’s clients went to the FBI to urge the agency to investigate the Texas attorney general, George P. Bush renewed the law license he had let lapse for a decade.

Shortly after, Bush announced his candidacy for Texas attorney general. What are the odds?

The entire trial was reminiscent of Donald Trump’s first impeachment over his “perfect phone call” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “quid pro quo” claims that were weaponized against a despised politician. In Trump’s case, he was at the mercy of congressional Democrats who held the majority at the time.

But here in Texas, Paxton was ambushed by the establishment wing of his own party. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Now Paxton’s political fate rests in the hands of 30 state senators. (Texas has 31 senators, but Paxton’s wife, Angela, serves in the body and has been disqualified from the process.)

Should the Texas Senate vote to remove Paxton from office, the Texas Republican Party may fracture beyond repair.

But the vote has far greater political implications than that.

Ken Paxton won his last election in 2022 by 10 points. He spanked his primary runoff opponent, George P. Bush, by an astounding 36 points. If the establishment is successful in removing a duly elected public official from office by pushing through a slapdash impeachment without clear and convincing evidence, it will set a nationwide precedent.

GOP establishment snakes and Democrats alike will use the Paxton trial as a blueprint nationwide to remove duly elected officials whose steadfast principles threaten them. If you dare accuse the system of working against the will of the people, make no mistake, they will find a way to turn it around on you. If mere accusations trump actual evidence, “free and fair” elections will become meaningless rituals.

If such injustice can happen in Texas after a decisive election, it can happen anywhere. A vote to remove Paxton from office with an overwhelming lack of evidence would green-light the process in states across the country. But a vote to acquit Paxton would send a resounding message to the establishment — both left and right — that they work for the people, not the other way around.